US concession draws Israel into road map vote

Ariel Sharon took immediate advantage yesterday of an offer by Washington which will let Israel accept the US road map for peace in the Middle East without intending to implement it fully.

Hours after the US said it "understood" Israel's concern about aspects of the the road map, a statement from Mr Sharon's office said that he would present the document to the cabinet for approval on Sunday.

That amount to a climbdown by the prime minister, who has listed more than a dozen objections to the plan.

A joint statement by Colin Powell, the US secretary of state, and Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser, said: "The United States government received a response from the government of Israel, explaining its significant concerns about the road map.

"The United States shares the view of the government of Israel that these are real concerns, and will address them fully and seriously in the implementation of the road map."

The coordinated statements from Israel and the US were the result of several days of diplomacy to move the road map forward.

The plan was formally presented by President George Bush on April 30.

Last night Mr Bush said he would meet Mr Sharon and the Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, in the near future if that would help to move the plan forward.

He added:"I'm committed to working toward peace in the Middle East."

The road map, which was endorsed by the EU, Russia, the UN and the US, envisages the creation of a Palestinian state in three years.

By refusing to embrace the plan Israel was risking embarrassing Washington, especially after it was endorsed by the Palestinians.

Mr Abbas, who is better known as Abu Mazen, had insisted that must Israel give its assent.

The issue dominated his first meeting with Mr Sharon a week ago.

The pressure to demonstrate the viability of the map was given fresh urgency this week by a series of suicide bombings.

Mr Sharon cancelled a visit to Washington in the wake of the attacks. But he sent an aide in his place, who is believed to have agreed on yesterday's face-saving formula with Ms Rice.

But it was not clear yesterday how much leniency Washington is willing to show to Israel in return for its symbolic assent.

Mr Sharon opposes a freeze on settlements in the occupied territories, as do his rightwing allies who will vote on the plan. He also insists that there must be a complete end to attacks by Palestinians before he will make any concessions.

Mr Powell said in Paris yesterday that there were no significant change to the map. "We have told the Israeli government that we would take their comments and address them seriously and fully as we went forward in the implementation," he said.

"This does not require us to change the road map. It is a document that leads to the president's vision of two states living in peace side by side."